US Represented

US Represented

Nonfiction

Retail Marijuana: The Pot Liberation Front

Retail marijuana could be on its way to Colorado Springs. In many ways, the Springs provides a microscopic sample of our national demographic. We have the serious ultra-conservative right-wing Republicans, fun but slightly insane Democrat fanatics (like the ones dancing in the streets after Obama won), a strong Libertarian front dedicated to creating and maintaining […]

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Afterglow: Lessons from the Black Forest Fire

Like most others in the Pikes Peak Region, I followed the Black Forest Fire closely. Many people wrote commentary regarding the causes, which is understandable. Still, maybe we should spend more time looking at the effects of the disaster. It’s worth reflecting on how social media helped turn this disaster into a community exercise in conversation, compassion, and

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Coy Mathis: A Child of the Transgender Wars

Fountain, Colorado’s transgender six-year-old Coy Mathis has been drawing a firestorm of controversy due to the very nature of her identity. Eagleside Elementary and its school district barred Coy, born male, from the girls’ restroom. However, she identifies as a girl and behaves as any girl would. Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund attorneys sent a complaint to the

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Matthew Shepard, The Westboro Baptist Church, and the American Conscience

On a slightly elevated plain just east of Laramie, Wyoming on October 7, 1998, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson beat and tortured Matthew Shepard nearly to death, tied him to a buck fence, and left him for dead. After being discovered by a passing cyclist, Shepard was transported to a Fort Collins, Colorado hospital where he was

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Hawaiian Sea Turtles or Tourists?

When faced head on, Hawaiian Sea Turtles look permanently depressed and irritable, even a little scary. In truth, they tend to be mild-mannered creatures who mind their own business and avoid bothering others. They do their best to accomplish what little they see as necessary in life, generally content to accept their lot in the grand scheme of things. Still, these turtles have every right

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